Increased funding would not stop tuition hikes

An entrance to Rhode Island College is pictured above. Photo by Alex Nunes.

By FLO JONIC

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Governor Lincoln Chafee has proposed a $10 dollar increase in funding for the state's higher education system. But it won't be enough to prevent tuition increases at two of the three state schools.

Tuition will remain the same next year at the Community College of Rhode Island. But students at the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College will have to pay more. Ray DiPasquale, the president of CCRI and the state Commissioner of Higher Education, says it's unclear how much more.

"The amounts can be anywhere probably from a low of two and three percent to around seven or eight percent," he says. "But each college the university and Rhode Island College - will have to make that determination and justification based on the need."

DiPasquale says the Board of Higher Education appreciates the $10 million in increased funding the governor has proposed in his budget. But, he says, it's not enough to reverse nearly $40 million in cuts over the past four years.

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